(Part 2) Best children classics books according to redditors
We found 470 Reddit comments discussing the best children classics books. We ranked the 213 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
33. Ka Hopita: a i 'ole, I Laila a Ho'i Hou mai: The Hobbit in Hawaiian (Hawaiian Edition)
2 mentions
I don't know if it belongs here, but the children's book "Love You Forever" reminds me of so many of the MILs here. Especially the bit where the woman breaks into her grown son's house while he sleeps to hold him like when he was a baby. Hurk. Got that one for my babyshower and it's going straight to the charity box.
It should also be noted that you can get you The Adventures of Tom Sawyer as read by Nick Offereman for 99 cents if you get the free Kindle book via WhisperSync.
And also Go the F*ck to Sleep as read by Samuel L. Jackson for $1.36
> The audio book for the hobbit is shorter than the movies and the narrator for the audio books reads at a slowish pace.
I looked it up. First audio book hit I found says 11 hours and 8 minutes.
Wikipedia says: 169/182 minutes (theatrical/extended) for Unexpected Journey, 161 minutes for Desolation of Smaug, and 144 minutes for The Battle of the Five Armies. That's a total of theatrical 7 hours 54 minutes or an extended 8 hours 7 minutes.
It might be helpful if you give us a list of any books you've read that you did enjoy or genres you think you might like.
I have never met a person who didn't love Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy but it may not be your thing if you don't like wacked-out sci-fi so some general idea of your interests could help a ton with suggestions.
A Short History of Nearly Everything is a solid non-fiction
Robot Dreams is a great set of sci-fi short stories
Ender's Game gets a ton of hate but is a pretty great sci-fi
On A Pale Horse is an older series that I'd consider fantasy but with sci-fi elements
Where the Red Fern Grows is well loved fiction
A Zoo in My Luggage is non-fic but about animal collecting trips for a zoo and is hilarious.
An oldie, but a goodie... Where the Red Fern Grows. It just rips at your heart.
For some reason, I always liked The 12 Dancing Princesses. In fact, I think that version of the book on Amazon is the exact one I had. :)
I also loved The Story of Ferdinand, although that's not really a fairy tale.
ETA: The Stinky Cheese Man!! A classic.
Ok I thought of one more author: Madeline L'Engle. Beyond her A Wrinkle In Time series (<3 Many Waters <3), there's A Severed Wasp and The Arm of the Starfish both of which are departures from The Wrinkle in Time series but still great.
Ha, that's adorable to think that there's something fundamental about comics that women could not possibly enjoy. Comics are not all superheroes either. They can be about ANYTHING, which is exactly why they SHOULD be able to appeal to women.
Perhaps they should check out Princeless, which is about a Princess who saves herself and was nominated for an Eisner award. Or Courtney Crumrin which has haunting art and great storytelling. New York X was unfortunately discontinued but is still one of my favorite X-Men comics because it features an all female cast and is delightfully dark. The comic adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time is also wonderfully drawn and of course who could hate Madeleine L'Engle.
But you know... none of that would appeal to us. They aren't REAL comics, tight? /s
The Hobbit in graphic novel form is really amazing, and readable at all ages. Graphic novels generally might be a great option. Also manga books might be good.
Some links:
Wrinkle in time graphic novel:
A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel https://www.amazon.com/dp/0374386153/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_baA4CbY2SYGER
The Hobbit
The Hobbit (Graphic Novel) with a subtitle of An illustrated edition of the fantasy classic https://www.amazon.com/dp/0345445600/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_WaA4CbW3CW7JR
Blankets (more for young adults, very good though):
Blankets https://www.amazon.com/dp/177046218X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_pbA4CbV1CPP6M
Good list:
https://www.npr.org/2017/07/12/533862948/lets-get-graphic-100-favorite-comics-and-graphic-novels
The Watchmen, imho, is one of the greatest books ever written, but dunno...it’s more action-y/comic book esque . Some girls may like it.
Many Waters
Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel was a favorite of mine plus another one about trains that I can't think of now. I just remember the incredible illustrations.
The Homer Price books also struck a chord with me as a youth. They might be appropriate for your older kids.
Samoan:
This book is good:
https://www.amazon.com/Gagana-Samoa-Language-Coursebook-Revised/dp/0824831314
This dictionary is good: https://www.amazon.com/Samoan-Dictionary-Samoan-English-English-Samoan-Milner/dp/0908597126
Would love a pdf copy of this HUGE 850-page Samoan Reference Grammar but it's hard to find: https://www.amazon.com/dp/8200216683
Alice in Wonderland is available in Samoan: https://www.amazon.com/Tafaoga-Alise-Nuu-Mea-Ofoofogia/dp/1782010238
On the other hand, with Hawaiian, in addition to a translation of Alice, you can get The Hobbit:
https://www.amazon.com/Ka-Hopita-Laila-Hobbit-Hawaiian/dp/1782010912
Ack, and I can't believe I forgot to mention Madeleine L'Engle. Her books may be YA but they can be enjoyed equally by adults. Pretty much everything she's written has Christian themes, some more overt than others. (Example: Many Waters, in which two teenagers time-travel back to just before the flood.)
Was it The Herdmans from The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (and various other books with similar titles)?
The Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak.
http://www.amazon.com/Night-Kitchen-Caldecott-Collection/dp/0060266686
Hobbit - Listening Length: 11 hours and 8 minutes (http://www.amazon.com/The-Hobbit/dp/B0099SNV7I)
It - Listening Length: 44 hours and 57 minutes (http://www.amazon.com/It/dp/B003M6F71G/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;sr=1-9&amp;qid=1418148039)
:D
http://www.amazon.com/Hitty-Her-First-Hundred-Years/dp/0689822847
Helen Oxenbury is the illustrator, 1999.
https://www.amazon.com/Alices-Adventures-Wonderland-Lewis-Carroll/dp/0763608041
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever? Or maybe its sequel?
When I was a little girl, I remember a children's book we had called "William's Doll". It was a book about a little boy who wants a doll, and his dad never gets it for him. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William's_Doll) It was a really great book, and reading this article reminded me of this. It must be difficult to be a parent of an unusual child, but it is a shame when parents try to deny any part of their child's development.
Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Williams-Doll-Charlotte-Zolotow/dp/0064430677
Yeah, I second the book idea. Not totally unique but I think three to five books for kids that you loved when you were a child or that your child loves are great. That's what I always go with and that's what we used to do when I would go shopping with my mom. My faves that aren't super obvious (i.e. not "Good Night Moon") are Jamberry, Jesse Bear What Will You Wear (that's my name, so, I loved it, obviously), Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (huge hit for me and later for my sis, which would make sense if you know the plot), Snow Day, and Happy Birthday Moon.
If you want to go absolute classics, these are some of my faves: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, In the Night Kitchen, The Giving Tree, and Harold and the Purple Crayon (Probably my favorite children's book of all time).
Hope that helps!
Edit: formatting
Amazon
Check out KaBOOM! studios has a couple of Fionna and Cake graphic novels available right now. They would definitely fit the bill and they're kid appropriate, but hold up well for older readers as well.
I picked up the A Wrinkle in Time graphic novel recently and it would probably also be a good choice. I don't think the rest of the series is available in graphic novel format, but if they enjoy the comic, the books are very accessible to YA & preteen readers.
This and her other book, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel were two of the books my grandma would always read to me. Thanks for bringing back some great memories :)
Táim ag léamh an leabhar sin anois. Tá sé iontach ar fad! :D
9 year old girls
They're old enough to be reading chapter books, but you didn't mention how advanced they were...
Hmm...this might be tricky...
If they like animals:
Summer of the Wolves
A recently orphaned twelve-year-old girl and her younger brother leave a foster home in California to stay with their estranged uncle, a biologist studying a wolf pack in the woods of Minnesota. Heartfelt and informative.
If they like fantasy:
Fablehaven
Kendra and Seth's grandfather has a secret. His woods is a sanctuary for all creatures magical and mystic.
If they like mysteries:
Frightmares: Cat Burglar On the Prowl
Peg Kehret has written a score of mysteries, but the best for middle readers are the Frightmares. Kayo and Rosie run into quite a few mysteries, and quite a bit of danger.
If they want to read about normal kids:
You can't go wrong with Beverly Cleary; I will never not recommend her. If I had to choose a single book of hers to recommend...
Dear Mr. Henshaw
7 year old boy
If he likes fairy tales:
The Stinky Cheese Man & Other Fairly Stupid Tales
The best set of fractured fairy tales I can think of. And perfect for a seven year old boy.
If he likes mysteries:
Jigsaw Jones
Encyclopedia Brown and its emphasis on logic and catching people in lies might be a touch too much for him at the moment, so I'm going to recommend Jigsaw Jones, the other elementary sleuth solving mysteries at reasonable rates. There's approximately a bazillion Jigsaw Jones books, so take your pick.
4 year old boy
If he likes little stories:
Mouse Tales
****
I may need a little extra time to think of books for the other kids.
Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:
amazon.co.uk
amazon.ca
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Out of curiosity, did you and rex_manning possibly have the same book? :)
I had a cheap version of the 12 Dancing Princess which had simple black-and-white line art illustrations. I spent hours coloring in all the pictures; when there's 12 princesses going to secret nightly balls, there's a whole lot of prettiness, hahaha.
Sounds like this book. The family name is Herdman.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever - Barbara Robinson
https://www.amazon.com/Best-Christmas-Pageant-Ever/dp/0064402754
Sounds like Afternoon of the elves.
http://www.amazon.com/Afternoon-Elves-Janet-Taylor-Lisle/dp/0698118065
Books I like (and so does my daughter):
My Princess Boy by Cheryl Kilodavis and Suzanne DeSimone
In Our Mothers' House by Patricia Polacco
The Family Book by Todd Parr
William's Doll by Charlotte Zolotow
It's Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley
And pretty much everything Leslea Newman has ever written for kids. :)
$4.49 kindle version on Amazon.
The Indian in the Cupboard
The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Anne of Green Gables
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Matilda
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Possibly Afternoon of the Elves? http://www.amazon.com/Afternoon-Elves-Janet-Taylor-Lisle/dp/0698118065
Do you remember any other details?
Absolute number one favorite book of my early childhood: The Monster at the End of This Book
As an older child, like late elementary, I adored the Anne of Green Gables books.
That reminds me of this book.
If these are original drawings/paintings, then you've got something. But if they are only prints then you don't. I have seen these illustrations in a version of Alice at a bookstore. (this one: https://www.amazon.com/Alices-Adventures-Wonderland-Lewis-Carroll/dp/0763608041) I'm sorry.
It's my grandma! When I was in kindergarten, I had a copy of In the Night Kitchen, a strange and wonderful book that included a part where the kid is naked. She took a black marker to the book and blacked out everything. It was really strange to me, I mean, I knew what I looked like down there....
Now I need to figure out how she got to Tennessee from Idaho
To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of Tolkien or of Harry Potter. But I've read them and they're classics so I keep them on the shelf anyway. One day I might donate the Harry Potters if shelf space starts to get scarce again, but I'll probably hang onto the Tolkiens forever.
I've read a lot of fantasy because George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire got me back into reading about 10 years ago after being burned out on it for years after college, but I didn't really like most of the fantasy I read and it seemed to take me years of reading it to realize that. So I'd say fantasy in general just isn't really my thing.
Since then I started a project to collect and read all the classics that I haven't read (I was a history major so I didn't read much lit after high school, and in high school I wasn't a big fan of reading so I barely read even what I was assigned) and I've discovered that I like the classics quite a bit better than the genre fiction I was reading earlier this decade.
That Hobbit is Houghton Mifflin pocket edition. I like the art probably better than I like the story, ha.
And yes, feel free to tag me! Would love to take a look at your shelf.
The hobbit has been translated into Hawaiian: https://www.amazon.com/Ka-Hopita-Laila-Hobbit-Hawaiian/dp/1782010912
And so has Alice in wonderland
[Self Promotion] Red-Cap Mermaid. Like Little Red Riding Hood but in a mermaid world 🧜♀. Free until August 26th.
>https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W4DGWFZ
END_DATE: 2019-08-26
ADD_FLAG: WW
Is it this?
This just reminded me of Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
I think that's actually the standard edition for a lot of languages.
Norwegian
Irish
Japanese
And some dodgy Spanish version
Couldn't find any for German and French... Only weird covers or the movie covers...